Echoes of the Lost Song

Chapter 2: The Haunting Melody

As the bus pulled into Chikmagaluru, Mayur and Satya disembarked, greeted by the familiar faces of Satya's family waiting for them in their car. Mr. and Mrs. Vijaynath beamed with joy at the sight of their son and his best friend, while Vindhya, as usual, was too engrossed in her phone to pay much attention. "Good to see you, boys!" Mr. Vijaynath called out, waving them over. Mayur and Satya piled into the car, and as they set off toward Taatha's estate, the atmosphere was warm and filled with small talk about the journey and plans for the days ahead. But Mayur's mind was elsewhere. As the car wound through the picturesque landscape, he suddenly heard the song again - the same haunting melody that had captivated him at the Hoysala temple. His heart raced as he frantically scanned the surroundings, trying to locate its source. Then, he saw her. By the riverside, dressed in the same crimson saree, the woman from the temple stood gracefully, her figure bathed in the soft afternoon light. Mayur's pulse quickened, and without thinking, he shouted at the driver to stop the car.

"Stop! Stop the car!" he yelled, already halfway out the door before the vehicle had fully halted. Startled, Satya called after him, "Mayur, what are you doing?" But Mayur was already sprinting toward the riverbank, driven by a mix of excitement and desperation. He had to reach her, to finally understand who she was and why she kept appearing before him. Satya jumped out of the car and ran after him, but by the time he caught up, the woman had vanished, leaving only the quiet rush of the river in her wake. Mayur stood there, panting and wide-eyed, staring at the spot where she had been."I saw her again," Mayur gasped, struggling to catch his breath. "Just before I could reach her, she disappeared... again." Satya, catching his own breath, shook his head in frustration. "Mayur, this is getting out of hand. You're letting your imagination run wild."Reluctantly, Satya dragged Mayur back to the car, where the rest of the family was waiting with curious and concerned expressions. As they resumed their journey, Mayur couldn't shake the image of the woman or the mysterious song from his mind. He recounted the entire story to everyone in the car, including the strange lyrics that had been haunting him:

"Behind the mango tree, behind the mango tree,

I heard the footsteps, I heard the footsteps.

He hides there, he hides there,

Inside a cave, inside a cave.

He comes out in the spring, he comes out in the spring.

Till then be patient, be patient, be patient, be patient."

Vindhya, who had finally looked up from her phone, made a face. "What a weird song. Is he a monster or a savior of some kind?" Mr. Vijaynath chuckled, glancing at Mayur in the rearview mirror. "Your imagination really does run wild, Mayur. It's probably just a figment of your mind, mixing up all the legends and tales you've read about."As the conversation turned into playful banter, mocking Mayur's strange encounter, he couldn't help but laugh along, though a part of him remained troubled by the mysterious woman. Soon enough, they reached Taatha's estate, a sprawling farmhouse nestled in the hills, surrounded by lush greenery. The sight of it brought back a flood of childhood memories for Satya and Mayur. Taatha stood at the entrance, his face lighting up with the biggest smile as he saw his family approach. Vindhya and Satya ran toward him, enveloping him in a warm hug. Mayur, as was his custom, touched Taatha's feet in respect, seeking his blessing. Taatha patted his back affectionately and pulled him into a hug.

"You've grown so much, Mayur," Taatha said with a chuckle. "Now, give your old Taatha a hug too." The family reunited, and soon the air was filled with laughter and stories, mostly about the shenanigans of Satya and Mayur's childhood. Vindhya, still engrossed in her phone, interrupted the nostalgia. "I need to charge my phone. Where's my room?" Taatha smiled, a twinkle in his eye. "You're sharing a room with Akshara."